Sticking a heatsink on back of mobo with thermal paste...

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forgottenit
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Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2014 6:20 am

Sticking a heatsink on back of mobo with thermal paste...

Post by forgottenit » Tue May 10, 2016 8:35 am

Good idea, or very terrible idea?

I hate fans. That's non-negotiable for me. No fans.

So, I have this CR-80EH. Although as I said I am never, ever going back to fans, it's not working out too well. The PC idles at about 50 degrees, and can go up to 80 if I run something moderately intensive, like Civ 4.

What I'd like to do is get a case designed for passive cooling, get NoFan's bigger cooler, and get a mobo and CPU compatible with both and each other. But that has to wait till I have the moulah together.

So, in the mean time I am thinking of temporary solutions. I have noticed a lot of heat coming from the back of the motherboard. It occurred to me to get a big heatsink and attach it with thermal adhesive to the back of the motherboard (there are, of course, no screws there). Space is not a problem as there is a gap at the back of the motherboard where the CPU is.

However, this would be a one way street. Once on, thermal adhesive does not like coming off. So, thoughts?

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: Sticking a heatsink on back of mobo with thermal paste..

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue May 10, 2016 9:47 am

forgottenit wrote:However, this would be a one way street. Once on, thermal adhesive does not like coming off. So, thoughts?
I don't understand what you want to do... anyway, for mosfet/ram I used to glue just the heatsink corners, using regular thermal paste on the remaining part of the chips.
That way even the adesive were removable (with a very thin razor blade).

edh
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Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:49 pm
Location: UK

Re: Sticking a heatsink on back of mobo with thermal paste..

Post by edh » Tue May 10, 2016 10:02 am

Thermalright used to offer a backside heatsink, the IFX-10. Here is a review:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/ha ... eview.html

Now you wouldn't want to just use thermal paste to stick a heatsink on the back, you risk shorting out a whole load of things. You can get non-electically conductive thermal pads which would work but you must be very careful with the pressure that you apply and how exactly you attach it. There's obviously got to be some very good reasons why the IFX-10 never caught on which you are quite likely to find out. YMMV but do report back if you find something that works/fries something.

forgottenit
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2014 6:20 am

Re: Sticking a heatsink on back of mobo with thermal paste..

Post by forgottenit » Tue May 10, 2016 10:23 am

Thermal adhesive conducts electricity? Gosh, I didn't know that. Glad I asked.

Thanks I googled the IFX-10, no one sells it any more. If anyone knows other rear heatsinks, let me know.

edh
Posts: 1621
Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:49 pm
Location: UK

Re: Sticking a heatsink on back of mobo with thermal paste..

Post by edh » Tue May 10, 2016 12:33 pm

Well you don't actually need a heatsink specifically for the purpose. You could attach another matching heatsink on the other side and use some long bolts to screw the two heatsinks together through the mounting holes. You could even double up with another CR-80EH with some thermal pads stuck to it. How successful this will be is debatable- ever wondered why the Thermalright IFX-10 never caught on?

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